Humans have always gazed at the sky, and the sky has always provoked questions. One of the most enduring mysteries is whether or not there is intelligent life outside of the Earth’s solar system. Ancient peoples all over the world came up with creation myths where powerful beings fell from the sky, and today, astronomers train high-tech telescopes on the stars in an attempt to find traces of life on other planets. If alien life does exist, what might those societies look like? Will they have any similarities to the societies on Earth? If so, how likely is it that aliens have their own organized religion and believe in God? Keep reading to find out more.
Contemplating Aliens in Other Galaxies
Humans on Earth have been contemplating life in other galaxies for thousands of years. Of course, human societies have moved far beyond cave drawings of mystical animals, but the desire to tell seemingly impossible stories about beings from the stars is still a profound part of the culture to this day. In the last 200 years, science fiction writers and filmmakers have introduced hundreds of different stories about aliens, and the general public still wants more.
Why do people fixate on the possibility of alien life? Some people believe that aliens have already visited Earth, and some people vehemently deny that aliens might exist somewhere in the universe. Whatever the case, aliens dominate the conversation every time.
Perhaps this fixation has to do with the idea of the unknown, and how different people respond to feeling small in comparison to the large scope of the universe. Some people embrace that feeling while others do everything they can to ignore it. Aliens might exist or they might not, but how people talk about the subject reveals more about them than it does about aliens.
Putting Forward the Question of Faith
If aliens exist, is it possible that they organize their societies around faith and religion? All human societies are organized around ideas and values, so alien societies likely function in similar ways. Researchers have documented cases where troops of monkeys and apes have passed down cultural customs to their young, such as how to find and use specific tools to gather insects and eat fruits. Though, researchers haven’t gone so far as to say that animals have religion.
When people make hypotheses about the existence of alien life, they often propose that alien societies are far more technologically advanced than those on Earth. Most people assume that technology and religion are opposing forces and that when people become more dependent on technology, they move away from spirituality. However, there’s no reason to assume that advanced societies wouldn’t have their own creation myths and spirituality while practicing some kind of faith.
Understanding the Role of Religion
Religion has played a central role in the development of human societies and cultures. When discussing aliens, it’s important to acknowledge this role. On Earth, there have been monotheistic belief systems as well as polytheistic ones. In other words, some people believe in one god while others believe in many gods. Judaism is the oldest monotheistic religion on Earth, and it has roots that go back all the way to the 6th century BCE. Polytheistic religions and ancestor worship-based belief systems go back even further in time.
Considering how complex religion is on Earth, it’s easy to imagine that aliens also have complicated systems of belief. Faith, spirituality, and religion are all distinct concepts, so just because aliens have their own spirituality doesn’t necessarily mean they will be monotheistic and believe in God. Until we find out one way or another, the question will still remain up for debate.